


Erinaceous

by yeaka



Category: Travelers (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:13:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21597445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/pseuds/yeaka
Summary: Philip’s life is prickly.
Relationships: Ray Green/Philip Pearson | Traveler 3326
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Erinaceous

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Travelers or any of its contents, and I’m not making any money off this.

The coffee Philip makes in the warehouse isn’t anywhere near as good as the stuff they get when they go out to lunch, but it’s all a far cry better than the food of the future, and Ray never complains. He lounges back on one of the well-worn sofas while Philip fritters about the scattered equipment that makes up some semblance of a kitchen. They could just do this at Ray’s place, because Ray has a _real_ place, but Ray’s life is too complicated. It almost makes Philip laugh to think that. His is such a mess, but he doesn’t have a kid involved. 

Philip pours them both two steaming mugs when it’s ready. He carts them over to the couch, curiously following Ray’s gaze—Ray’s eyeing up the large terrarium on a nearby desk. Philip climbs onto the cushion next to Ray and hands one mug over. 

Ray accepts it with a grunt of, “Thanks.” His hands close around it, probably grateful for the warmth. Philip certainly is. The warehouse gets cold this time of year. It’d be nicer to bundle up in bed, but they just ruined the sheets—Ray offered to make a pit stop at the laundromat on his way out. Philip knows he needs to get a second set, now that he actually has someone to sully the first with, although maybe it’d be easier if they just got used to using towels. Or were cleaner in general. He needs better self-control. But Ray’s a spur of the moment kind of guy that seems to be into Philip’s ruined body, and Philip’s weak. 

Ray takes his first sip and mutters, “I got my kid a hedgehog today.”

Philip’s brain reels through his internal animal archive—something hardly vital to the mission that he researched anyway, because their planet was so _diverse_ before they fucked it up. There are thousands of amazing creatures still alive in the twenty-first that won’t be around much longer. Hundreds of thousands. He thinks of a tiny little hedgehog waddling innocently over fresh grass. He mumbles, “They’re cute.”

“We should arrange a play date some time.”

Philip’s brows knit together. He turns his gaze from Poppy to Ray. “You want me to meet your kid?” That seems like a terrible idea. He’s not exactly sure how old the kid is, but he feels like it won’t be old enough to understand their dad fucking a younger drug addict from the future. Ray snorts.

“No. The hedgehog and your turtle.” He gestures vaguely towards Poppy, who’s resting on a flat rock, completely uninterested in them. Philip wastes a few minutes picturing her ‘playing’ with a friend. 

Then he decides, “I don’t want anything spiky near her.”

“So protective,” Ray notes, shooting Philip a grin like that has significance. Philip doesn’t see it. He shrugs.

“Everybody else’s life sucks. The least I can do is look out for hers.”

Ray’s face scrunches up like that’s news to him. “Our lives suck?”

“You wouldn’t be here if it didn’t.”

Ray actually laughs, even though Philip wasn’t joking. He knows damn well how futile and desperate his mission is, and it’s not getting better. He knows he’s not a particular chipper person and never has anything good to offer Ray. The closest it comes is betting knowledge, but he’s not even good at that anymore. Ray reaches around to ruffle Philip’s hair, which Philip tries to lean away from, but he can’t get far enough. It’s annoying but heart wrenching at the same time. Maybe he likes Ray’s hands on him any which way he can have them.

Ray tells him, “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Phil.” Ray sounds so _genuine_. Like he really is okay with where he’s ended up.

A small smile creases Philip’s lips. It’s not entirely forced. He’s not convinced. But he settles back to drink his coffee next to Ray, and he thinks that maybe his life might be getting marginally better too.


End file.
